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The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has published the first clinical practice guidelines to focus specifically on the management of chronic pain in older persons. The guidelines were published in the May 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The recommendations in the report were derived from consensus among a panel of experts from the fields of geriatrics, pain management, psychology, pharmacology and nursing. The chair of the AGS Panel on Chronic Pain was Bruce Ferrell, M.D., University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine. After an extensive search of the literature for articles on the subject of pain in older persons, panel members reviewed the reports and developed recommendations.
The guidelines are divided into four main sections: assessment of chronic pain in older persons, pharmacologic treatment of chronic pain, nonpharmacologic strategies for pain management in older persons and recommendations for health systems that care for older persons. In each section, general principles are presented with specific references provided, followed by the panel's recommendations for improving clinical...